The present invention relates to a content distribution method, a device and a method for obtaining contents, and a program, and particularly to a content distribution method, a device and a method for obtaining contents, and a program that enable content download operation that does not rely on a GUI (Graphical User Interface).
Services that distribute various contents via the Internet have recently been spread. Such content distribution services include for example music (musical piece) distribution services (hereinafter referred to as EMD (Electronic Music Distribution) services).
A system for implementing such an EMD service (hereinafter referred to as an EMD system) comprises a server for distributing a musical piece (hereinafter referred to as an EMD server) and a client for obtaining (downloading) the musical piece (hereinafter referred to as an EMD client) (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-123264).
In the conventional EMD system as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-123264, however, a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a PC (Personal Computer)) having a large screen (about 14 inches to 21 inches in many cases) and a pointing device such as a mouse or the like is used as the EMD client. The conventional EMD service has a problem in that the use of such a large screen and a pointing device, that is, the use of a GUI is essential.
In other words, the conventional EMD service has a problem in that it is difficult to apply as the EMD client a household electric appliance or the like (for example an audio apparatus) that does not have a large screen and a pointing device such as a PC has.
Specifically, in the conventional EMD system, a PC (EMD client) first obtains a list of purchasable musical pieces (distributable by the EMD server) from the EMD server, and displays the list on a screen of the PC.
A user listens to a sample of each of the musical pieces included in the list displayed on the screen of the PC. When the user finds a musical piece that the user likes, the user purchases (downloads) the musical piece. Alternatively, even when the user has already decided which musical piece to purchase, the user listens to a sample of the musical piece for confirmation before its purchase.
At this time, the user needs to use a pointing device to listen to the sample of the predetermined musical piece. Specifically, the list displayed on the screen includes information indicating characteristics of each of the musical pieces distributable by the EMD server (the information is for example a name of the musical piece, a name of a player, a price or the like, which information will hereinafter be referred to collectively as musical piece information). The musical piece information is listed on the screen of the PC. The user is required to perform a complex operation of specifying musical piece information corresponding to a musical piece a sample of which the user desires to listen to among the musical piece information thus listed by using the pointing device and further pressing (clicking) a button (software key) for starting trial listening reproduction of the musical piece by using the pointing device.
Furthermore, also when purchasing a musical piece that the user likes after listening to a sample thereof, the user needs to perform an operation similar to that at the time of sample listening (an explicit operation of clicking by using the pointing device).
Thus, the conventional EMD service supposes a GUI. It is therefore difficult to apply as the EMD client an appliance (an audio apparatus or the like) that does not have a large display unit (screen) and a pointing device such as a PC has.
Even when a PC is used as the EMD client, the purpose of the user is merely to listen to music, and therefore the user does not expect that the user will need to look carefully at the screen to listen to the music (listen to a sample of the music).